Mirrorball
by thedeadflag
Summary: Finally safe at home after their weekend trapped in the wilderness, Santana and Rachel both find themselves wondering what exactly is next for them. With school ending soon, and the freedom of summer on the horizon, can they find their way, or will a certain blonde duo need to assist? Rated T for now. *Sequel to Province.*
1. Chapter 1

Rachel's morning was off to an exceedingly pleasant start. Not only had she woken up in her bed of all places, which was arguably the comfiest sleep-inducing object in existence from how rested she felt, but she also was in her room. She'd almost teared up at the sight of her Broadway show posters on her walls, the elliptical in the corner of her room, and her large stack of sheet music she'd planned on organizing that summer in preparation for the next school year. It was such a beautiful relieving sight, and though there were some aspects of waking in the forest that she doubtlessly missed terribly, Rachel really was happy to be home again.

Ultimately, her body felt wonderful, at least in comparison to how it had felt days past. In a way, her weekend escapade with Santana had almost felt like a dream; heck, she would have believed it if not for the small, mostly healed wound on her head that reminded her of her journey. Rachel couldn't help but smile, recalling that she'd been so terrified of the former cheerleader that she had assumed Santana would kill her with her knife. It still amazed her that the truth was so far from what she'd expected.

It meant so much to her that Santana had been there for her whenever she needed her; Rachel had barely woken from her nightmare before realizing she'd called Santana's number, desperately needing to hear the girl's voice. Her evening had been mostly filled with father-daughter comfort activities, such as baking cookies and watching talent shows, but rarely were her thoughts far from Santana. Between the emotional ride home, the movie night she'd had to miss, and the kiss she'd given her friend, there was just a lot to reflect on.

She loved her dad Hiram to death, but if she were honest, she would have preferred to be on the girl's bed, watching movies with the other girls; not only was it an activity she'd rarely been able to participate in throughout high school, but she just kind of wanted to snuggle with her new friend, and perhaps work toward winning over the two blondes. Ever since kissing the girl's cheek, she'd been flooded with thoughts of Santana. A few of which honestly troubled her hypothesis on the friendship crush she had on the cheerleader. It wasn't as if she was uncomfortable about any of it, it's just that she'd never been attracted in such a way to other women before that weekend. And to that, Rachel was pretty sure whatever attraction she did harbor was simply hero worship, which would assuredly fade.

_Though, is it still hero worship when barely any of my thoughts or daydreams involve her saving me or being heroic?_ She wondered, as she slipped out of bed, bypassing her elliptical as her father had ordered her the previous night. Rachel knew, however, that if her daddy had been present, he'd have vetoed the order for her. It was one thing that she was excited for that morning, as she hadn't seen her daddy yet since she got in, having missed him by a half hour; LeRoy was unfortunately called into work to perform some surgery the previous day. They'd had a short phone conversation on his break, but she wanted to actually see him and have him give her one of his big bear-hugs.

In a way, as she descended the stairs, it felt like just an average, every-day morning; all the familiar scents and sounds were there. The only thing missing was the dull burn of her muscles after her routine workout, seeing as she'd been made to skip it. Sure, she knew it was a big thing, being back home after such a wild weekend, but somewhere along the line, she'd stopped doubting Santana's assertions that they'd get home. She'd accepted that she'd be back eventually, and that ended up helping it seem kind of just like any other day for her, even if it certainly wasn't for her parents.

Which became clear as soon as she took the last step off the stairs, surprisingly finding herself pulled into one of her daddy's hugs, the man spinning her around as he clutched her tightly. "Oh my sweet baby girl." He choked out, clearly emotional. Rachel was pretty sure that out of both of her fathers, her personality tended to be much more influenced by LeRoy than Hiram. Both tended to be a bit overbearing, hyperactive, creative and wildly dramatic at the best of times. "You're never, ever going camping again." LeRoy continued, pulling away slightly, his worried expression making her feel a little guilty. Not only had she wrecked the car, but she may have added an extra wrinkle or two to his face, which meant that her daddy would be fussing over face cream and other skincare products for the next month.

"I'm fine, Daddy. I was fortunately stranded with someone who was both incredibly capable and attentive to my needs while out in the wild. And given that our improvised camping expedition was entirely unplanned, with most of the events strictly influenced by the fact that we were backpacking through the wilderness instead of on a safe camp site, I would say that we didn't go camping at all in any traditional sense." Rachel rambled, knowing that at least her daddy had the attention span to appreciate her words even when she was prattling on and on.

Rachel smiled as he gave her another loving squeeze before letting her go, placing her back down on her feet. "You've been quiet about all the details of what happened out there. All I've been able to drag out of Hiram is that you were briefly hospitalized, while your glee friend had to stay overnight." He noted, leading her to the kitchen table, where breakfast was waiting for her. Rachel kind of wished it wasn't a shipment day at her dad's restaurant, knowing she'd have felt more comfortable with him around to keep a cap on her daddy's dramatics.

She sat down and happily popped a peach chunk into her mouth, feeling a little peckish still after her big adventure, despite the large dinner the day before, and the large brunch. "I knew you'd have today off, and I didn't want to make you worry when someone else's life was in your hands, daddy." She started, though immediately regretted her choice of words when his eyes grew wide as saucers. "I just know that you're a worrywart like I am, remember when I got a big papercut in fifth grade, and you kept me home the rest of the day for 'observation'?"

He wilted a bit at her good-natured challenge, clearly moving to compose himself after being called out like that. "Okay, so I worry. I'm your father, that's what I do best." He stated, looking a little embarrassed as he frowned concernedly at her. "Now, you were saying?"

"Yes, well…as I mentioned earlier, I had a very capable companion with me that I'm eternally grateful for. So when I lost control of the vehicle and crashed…where I received nearly all of my physical injuries from the trip, which were thankfully quite minor…I was given excellent first aid." She noted succinctly, ducking her head a little as she pointed to the healing wound at her hairline. After giving her daddy a few seconds to inspect it, she lifted her head and continued, spotting that she'd only have time to really give the short version of the story if she wanted to get to school as early as usual. "Santana patched me up and calmed me down. On our way…"

"Santana…as in Doctor Lopez' daughter? The one who'd been antagonizing you for a while now?" LeRoy asked, clearly confused and surprised. Rachel didn't blame him, as she tended to tell her fathers nearly everything, so they'd known her tumultuous history with the former cheerleader. She gave a short nod and a smile to let him know that it wasn't a bad thing that she'd been stuck with the girl. "Well…I suppose she would have been handy. Her dad used to always take her out into the woods for days at a time."

"She was admittedly much more competent than I was, and certainly more aware of the dangers that existed out there. We had a run in with some men late that night…Santana had to fight them off with her hatchet. Thankfully, neither of us were harmed." She stated, raising her hand as she saw her father about to blurt out something that probably had to do with Santana wielding her hatchet, or the fact that her safety had been threatened. Her father, much like her, was something of a pacifist, and tended to hated weaponry. "She only had one so that she could chop up wood for fires, but I'm thankful she had it. She didn't let anyone get close to me, Daddy, and she scared them off. At least, for a while."

LeRoy's eyebrows looked as if they were taking permanent residence at the top of her forehead, his eyes rife with anger and concern. "You're telling me you got attacked?! I…did you get their license plate? We need to find out who…" her father started ranting at a breakneck pace, and she knew if she didn't stop him, he'd probably keep going until he had some sort of aneurism. As per their tradition, she once again raised her hand, stopping his words in their tracks. The both of them knew that they could go off the rails in telling each other about their days, so they'd both agreed that the storyteller would always be able to control the discussion, if just to prevent conversational mayhem. Rachel was very thankful for that, even if LeRoy was still understandably fuming over her being attacked.

"It was too dark, and I was too scared. If you're worried about getting back at them, I'm certain that Santana sliced one of their Achilles tendons, so they didn't leave without facing some consequences. I'm certain that if need be, you could have the police call hospitals in that region to see if anyone was admitted with such an injury, whereupon either myself or Santana could identify them." She stated, which seemed to ease his tension slightly. "Their friends came around an hour or so later, and Santana helped us escape into the woods where we'd be safer. She'd spent days out in the wilderness before without food, water or shelter, so I knew I could trust her decisions to some degree."

That remark seemed to bring her daddy out of his rage a little bit, as his face contorted into confusion. "His father had never seemed to be that extreme about his camping trips…he never mentioned anything like that." LeRoy said thoughtfully, tapping his finger on the table as he always did when he was busy thinking.

"It was Sue Sylvester that did so, not her father. Anyway, most of the rest of the weekend was nice. She taught me a fair bit about how to survive in the wild, including how to use hatchets, which I've found to have a fair bit of utility. And whenever I got scared or worried or homesick, she'd help me and cheer me up. Without her, I probably would have panicked at some point and would be currently lost in the wilderness." Rachel explained, drawing a hesitant nod from her father, who only appeared more confused at her clarification.

"You mean to tell me that the girl who used to torment you turned over a new leaf? I'm sorry…I find it hard to believe." LeRoy stated apologetically, taking a bite of his French toast, washing it down with some orange juice. Rachel just continued to mill away at her own entirely delicious breakfast. "But I'm sure you have an explanation for that, knowing how intense you get about needing to understand things."

Rachel nodded furiously, popping another peach chunk in her mouth, relishing in its flavor. She'd missed fruit. "I was initially very wary. At first, after the wreck, I thought she was about to kill me when I saw the knife in the front seat with her. But…I can't say much, as I won't betray her trust…she seemed to decide that she wanted friends, and that I'd be a good person to start with." She stated with a wistful smile, recalling how sweet and open the girl had been with her throughout the trip. As unforgettable of an experience it had been due to the violence and how scary it had been, it was also equally unforgettable due to the bond they'd established. "She helped when I was scared of bears, when I was scared of thunderstorms…and she…"

LeRoy reached across the table and took hold of her hand, freeing her from the immediate rush of memories around the second attack. She was thankful for the affection, but it didn't clear her mind from the memory of Santana shaking on the ground, covered in blood. "Daddy, she fought a wolf for me. She made me escape first, and she killed it. It looked old, but it was really big and…it almost killed her. I was lucky to have been able to stop the bleeding and get her into town in time. I've never been so terrified." She whispered, sniffing back her tears as she remembered how long it had taken to get the bandaging right, to close the girl's wounds. Once again, she was broken from her short reverie by her father, who pulled her off the kitchen stool and into a fierce hug, one that she eagerly returned. Even though the ordeal was behind her, it was still so fresh in her mind. Every time she thought back to it, it was as if it was happening again right in front of her.

After a few minutes of silent comfort, her father stepped away, teary-eyed. "You…you're never allowed to go camping again. At least…not without that girl with you. And perhaps a number of highly trained ex-military bodyguards." He stated, his voice shaky with emotion. She just hugged him back harder, letting him know that she was okay. That she was home, and that while the idea of being accompanied by some highly trained bodyguards out in the forest was a bit off-putting, she'd endure it if it meant that she'd be able to have a calm, relaxing camping adventure with Santana in the future.

"Okay, Daddy. I promise." Rachel answered, deciding not to tell him that she would ask her dad to book her a few appointments with her therapist; it simply wasn't fair to call Santana at night, and she needed to ensure she'd get past that trauma. "Anyway, I'd best get ready for school. I'm sure that McKinley will be abuzz with rumours, and I want to make sure I'm prepared for any sort of attention that's directed at me." She finished, leaning up on her tippy-toes to plant a kiss on his cheek before she rushed back to her room, already four minutes later than she'd usually be at that time of the morning. And on top of that, she had some gifts to procure.

It would be a busy day indeed.

* * *

Santana walked into McKinley that morning with her head held high; sure, she was using crutches, which normally were a sign of vulnerability, but the rest of her attire dismissed that notion. Quinn had apparently done well the previous night, spreading word to the school's gossip hounds, because everyone in the halls stopped and stared at her in shock and awe. The fact that she'd washed her torn Cheerios' top that morning so she could wear it again was a nice touch, if she said so herself. The bloodstains hadn't come out at all, same for her shorts, which she also had washed and decided to wear that day. It made for a sight, she knew, and Santana figured it would go a long way to ensure that her badass title ascended to mythical levels. Even under the jacket she wore, the evidence of the wolf attack was visible. She supposed it didn't hurt that she'd tweeted pictures of both hatchets and the hunting knife, still all caked with blood and fur, including the caption '_did some hunting this wknd #fuckmichigan_'. It all seemed enough to hopefully get the school buzzing.

Her only worry was that Rachel wouldn't be okay with it when she met up with her. Santana had called the girl that morning about her plans, and the diva had given her the green light, but she couldn't help but be worried after the previous night's episode. The last thing she wanted was to emotionally scar the girl any more than she already was, it was just that she really wanted to take advantage of the situation so that she could boost both of their reps. Santana knew that the school hierarchy operated mostly through cliques and fear, and she planned on using that. The Unholy Trinity hadn't really lost any cool points after leaving the Cheerios, mostly because they stood up to Sue and came out unscathed. Still, it didn't hurt having extra insurance, seeing as they were bringing another girl into the fold, one that had been at the bottom of the school's hierarchy for as long as she'd been aware.

She'd made similar calls to Quinn and Britt to make sure they knew what was happening, but both still looked just as shocked as everyone else when she approached their lockers. "Hey bitches." Santana called out with a wide, carefree smile. Sure, her meds didn't kill off all that much of the pain, but they did enough so that she wasn't in agony; that left her feeling good enough to just be happy about going through the final two or so weeks of school.

Britt was quick to hug her, but careful to avoid any trouble areas as best she could manage. Quinn just stood by Santana, her HBIC glare on full power; she was pretty confident that Quinn would be a crazy-protective mega-bitch all day, and it was kind of something she looked forward to seeing again. Hey, sometimes Vintage Ice-Queen Quinn Fabray was good for some fun. After all, it didn't hurt to have the school pissing itself around them all while she was a little incapacitated. It was a nice little measure of defense that she'd thank the blonde for later on.

They all grabbed their books for their next class and then moved onto their next destination, the crowd of students parting for them as they leisurely made their way to Rachel's locker, where the diva was worriedly looking over a large binder of notes. If there was one regrettable thing about school for Santana, it was that her badass reputation more or less ensured that she couldn't be public with her affection unless it was with Britt. And while that was okay and all, she kind of wanted to give Berry a hug and make sure she was okay.

"Hey Britt-Britt? Can you go give Rach a big hug for us? I'm pretty sure she could use one right now." She whispered to the tall blonde, who cheerfully skipped away from her and Quinn and wrapped an immediately surprised Rachel in a big hug, swinging the diva from side to side. It was a little amusing to see a wide-eyed Rachel with her feet off the ground, still clutching her binder as Brittany gave the brunette one of her more enthusiastic hugs. The blonde lowered Rachel back to the ground just as she and Quinn arrived at the locker, which seemed to give the diva some relief, though she seemed fairly content despite the surprise. "Hey, how'd your morning go, Rach?"

Rachel seemed to freeze up a little, before a shy smile spread across her lips. "It was quite wonderful, though I was banned from exercising until my daddy's able to look at all my injuries himself." Rachel noted with a bit of indignation, giving a little huff after she spoke.

"Hey, nothing wrong with easing back into your routines…I mean, you couldn't follow your morning routine last weekend, and it was alright then, right?" Santana asked, trying to play a little devil's advocate, though Berry seemed a little unimpressed with her statement, sending her a pointed look. "Hey, I'm sure you're totes able to do shit, but your dads are just shaken up. I'm sure you'll have your elliptical back tomorrow."

Rachel gave a thoughtful pout and nodded her head. "That is true. I've already composed a speech to my dad, telling him about the importance of exercise in maintaining a strong, healthy body. That the sooner I exercise, the sooner I'm back to my old shape, and the sooner they can put the ordeal behind them." The diva stated, and Santana could feel Quinn's eyes rolling from where she stood. "I've noticed that the rest of the school is paying particularly close attention to you…and Quinn, I fear for anyone who gets on your bad side today."

"It's nice to know I can still make people tremble." The blonde HBIC spoke with a frosty sort of cheer to her voice, Santana catching the girl's somewhat sadistic smile out of the corner of her eye. She knew Quinn wasn't actually crazy malicious or anything, and that she was simply a great actress in the roles she'd developed; Santana was just happy to have the blonde back by her side. It was pretty great.

"If I'm entirely honest, when you smile like that, Quinn, I get the instinctual response to find somewhere to hide. Don't sell yourself short." Rachel stated, and Santana couldn't help but laugh, knowing Quinn would take the compliment well. Because sure, she knew Quinn didn't usually take much pleasure in wielding her power, but she did take pride in how good she'd gotten at it. "Anyway, I must be off to class, so I hope you all have pleasant mornings." The diva continued, a bright smile spreading across her face, one that Santana just couldn't deny was hella alluring.

She decided that with all of her badassery and Quinntense protection, she could get away with stepping things up a little bit on the Rachel front, making a brief kissing gesture to the diva before heading off to her own classes. She almost looked back to see the brunette's response, but decided against it for two reasons; she didn't want to see any sign of rejection, and she wanted Berry to know that she wasn't the least bit worried showing her some Santana-grade affection at school.

* * *

Much of the rest of the day passed uneventfully, Santana figured. She had maintained the attention of her fellow students, Quinn had scared two jocks into leaving early due to bladder and groin issues after trying to slushie Santana and Rachel, Brittany had been hugging the three of them constantly, and Rachel had survived unscathed through the day. In fact, some had started parting the halls for her, even if it was just a little bit.

And Jacob Ben Israel had been stalking her all day long, only to constantly be rebuffed by her threatening to hit him with a crutch. Still, the kid gutted it out all day long, taking verbal abuse from both her and Quinn, physical threats by her and Quinn, and he'd apparently skipped his last class to wait outside the choir room for her. So when he approached her for the ninth time that day, she held up her hand to keep him from flapping his idiotic little mouth. She'd left her last class early to take her meds, and seeing as she'd already handed in the final assignment for it, Santana didn't think it'd be a big deal to skip the rest.

"Jewfro, you're relentless, and you're like a tick that's just making me feel ill, so get to the point and don't waste my time. You have five minutes." She stated firmly, leaning up against some lockers by the choir room doors, sending him a scathing glare that had the creepy boy visibly on edge.

"My source reports that you and my future wife, Rachel Berry, were trapped out in the Michigan wilderness all weekend, is that true?" the boy stammered out quickly, shrinking back as she leaned forward slightly with her fists clenched at her side.

She let a moment or two pass, just to let the fear sink in, before answering. "I'mma be nice and ignore what you said about Berry, because I've had enough blood on my hands lately. But yeah, from Friday night to Monday night." She answered with a scowl, not happy at all about how he talked about the diva; she'd had a grudge against him ever since he blackmailed poor, naïve Rachel into giving him a pair of her underwear. It was kind of fucking sick.

"You m…mention blood. Your clothing makes you look like you'd been attacked, and you posted pictures of weapons, c…can I get a comment on that?" Jewfro asked, which was silly, because Quinn had mentioned that she'd fought and killed a wolf. She didn't think she'd have to reiterate the tale.

Santana let out a frustrated sigh, shaking her head at the prospect of talking about it all. Still, it gave her a way to set the story straight. "Me and Berry ran into some trouble, but as you can see, we're still standing. The wolf whose throat I slit was one of them…I taught Berry how to toss a hatchet, so I didn't do it alone, even if I did the dirty work. And then we ran into a shotgun-wielding hillbilly and his two beasts of dogs…Berry went all Lara Croft the things and shouted down the asshole." She replied with a casual shrug. "We're badasses, she's just more modest than me. That good enough for you, Jewfro?"

Having felt she made her point, she positioned herself back on her crutches and started moving around the clown, but he stuck his microphone out in front of her before blocking the doors. "Wait! You and Rachel were out there for a long time, people could suspect that you both got inti…" Jacob started with an absolutely disgustingly slimy grin that she would have slapped off if she could have. Instead, she slammed her head forward, head-butting the slime ball and causing him to stumble out of the way.

"You don't want to finish that question…and you definitely don't want to ask Berry that question, because it's clearly not in your best interests, am I clear?" she grit out, sure that her glare was absolutely aflame with the rage that practically had her vibrating. It wasn't as if the question would have been bad coming from Q or Britt, but that dude basically stalked Rachel, and she didn't want him thinking anything. "Your time's up, asshole."

With that, she stormed into the empty room, taking a seat in the front row. Normally, Santana sat higher on the risers, but she knew well that stairs and crutches didn't go well together. Feeling instantly bored, she fished into her backpack, pulling out her spare glee folder; it wasn't like she was crazy prepared or anything like Berry, but solos for her were rare. Sometimes, Schue let people that weren't the main players take the floor, and she wanted to have things ready if the opportunity ever came up. And she hid that folder, because she liked the idea of people thinking it was effortless for her, instead of knowing that she'd often spend time working on her performances at home after she'd finished her homework. Glee was her favourite part of the day, and she was competitive. She didn't think it was a massive stretch that she'd be dedicated to it, even if she pretended not to be.

As soon as the door clicked open, that folder was back in her bag, but she had an idea of what she'd work on throughout the week; Santana knew her neck was too roughed up at the moment to take part in singing or anything, but she hoped that maybe by the last glee session of the year that she'd be recovered enough to do a solo in front of the whole club. Normally, she needed help; duets were always a lot easier for her to handle, because as much as she loved the spotlight, singers like Rachel and Mercedes kind of intimidated her. Well, more Rachel than Mercedes, but the girl had pipes, even if she was raw and pretty mediocre in the other aspects of performing.

But ultimately, as she'd explained to Rachel, she just didn't want to be second best. But at the same time, she also kind of really liked singing and dancing, and wanted to sing a song to her girls. Well, not that they were 'hers' in any sort of intimate sense outside of friendship or anything. Well, not that she wouldn't possibly like that, at least with one of the three, but she knew most girls were straight. Lima was strike-out city when it came to romance, and it just wasn't likely in the cards. Sure, she liked being affectionate with Rachel, but she didn't see it going anywhere past the realm of friendship, even if she did have a bit of a crush on the diva.

Which might have been the reason why she was smiling like she hadn't seen the girl in weeks when Rachel walked into the room, even though she'd seen her maybe an hour and forty minutes ago at most. Whatever; Santana knew that she tended to want things pretty badly sometimes, and that usually scared her, especially when she was in denial about her sexuality. But it wasn't so complicated anymore; at least, it didn't need to be, now that Rachel knew. Knowing that one more person in the world understood her secret was kind of huge. It made Santana feel like she'd have more people on her side if things went bad, and that was important, because she hated being alone.

"You're here early." The diva stated, looking both pleased and confused, plopping down in the seat beside her.

"Needed to take my meds, so my teacher gave me the rest of the period off. I just got here." She stated; a white lie of sorts, but she didn't want a scolding of how skipping was poor form, or something along those lines.

Rachel gave her a sad smile and Santana felt her hand being squeezed, not having even noticed the diva reaching out for it. "Really…you should take the rest of the week off. You need to rest, San." Rachel spoke softly, using her thumb to gently caress the back of Santana's hand. Her eyes couldn't stop staring at their hands together, mostly because she knew that if she looked anywhere else, she'd probably end up staring into the diva's eyes, and that would likely be a bad idea with the meds kicking in and making her a little freer and candid.

"I can't protect you if I'm at home lying in bed. I promised you." Santana not leaning a little toward Rachel, unable to stifle a happy sigh when the brunette scooted her chair closer and angled her body into Santana's, their shoulders resting against each other. "And glee's the best part of my day…I can rest this summer, estrella." Santana knew that summer was fast approaching, and with a number of her major assignments having been done in advance, she mostly just had final exams to prepare for. Nothing entirely strenuous. She didn't want Berry to worry that she was putting her health at risk just attending classes.

Santana hadn't meant to slip out the nickname quite yet, generally preferring to keep it for when they weren't at school, but the combined blush and shy smile on Rachel's face made her wonder if perhaps it wouldn't be a good idea to use it more freely. Rachel was her friend, after all, and she liked making her friends happy.

"I just worry…I'm a worrier, I'm overbearing, and kind of high maintenance. I want you to be healed up right now, but you can't be, so I just want it to happen as fast as possible, because I don't like seeing you in pain." The diva stated with sad confidence, giving her hand a squeeze.

"Rachel, I'm okay, I…" she started, but when Kurt and Mercedes marched into the room, she clammed up a little, bringing her free hand over to cover their interwoven heads before pulling away entirely. "I promise, estrella." She whispered, offering the girl an apologetic smile. Santana figured that there was already enough gossip that they'd have to endure in glee. Showing how close they'd gotten would be better left for another day. Rachel seemed to understand, by the encouraging expression she flashed her, before looking over to Kurt and Mercedes, offering them a small wave.

As the club filtered in, the buzzing white noise of hushed gossip built, almost to an unbearable level. She'd expected them to bombard them with questions, but they'd all been keeping their shit to themselves. If it was any consolation, Rachel seemed entirely surprised too, though not as surprised as when Finn lumbered over to her, stopping well within Rachel's personal space.

"Hey Rach!" The boy exclaimed cheerfully, wearing that dopey grin that some girls inexplicably fell for. To Santana, it just made him look like a gassy infant, but she was a lesbian, and she supposed that her tastes varied a lot from other girls. Though his boobs were the least appealing set she'd ever seen. Seriously. Custard nipples.

Santana suppressed a shudder from the thought and paid close attention to the oaf who was towering over the diva. She wasn't a fan of how he seemed to subconsciously use his size against her so often. Especially when he wanted something, or when he was upset.

"Hello, Finn. Is there something you needed?" Rachel asked with a level of politeness that constantly surprised Santana, because Finn constantly did rude shit to the diva, like ignoring her when she talked, ogling Quinn while dating the brunette. Or, more recently, trying to kiss Rachel after she rejected him, and after she'd yelled 'No!' at him. Honestly, he'd looked like he was trying to swallow her or something, and it kind of disgusted her, so she'd thrown every insult in both of her English and Spanish vocabularies at him. Thankfully, the giant had been humiliated and went back to the waiting room to sulk, but the disappointment in Rachel's face cut through her something fierce. Santana knew Rachel still liked Finn as a friend, but she wasn't about to sit by as the boy forced himself on her newest friend.

"Oh, I was just gonna bring you over to our usual seats." Finn stated confidently, still holding that idiotic grin. It was ridiculous how he usually treated her like some toy or object he owned, instead of someone who could make her own decisions. Seriously, Santana didn't understand what others saw in him. Her taking the boy's virginity had been a mercy to all the other McKinley girls, ensuring he likely wouldn't be nearly as selfish the other times he did the deed with whatever unfortunate partner he could find.

Rachel seemed to tense a bit at his words, and her polite, cheerful expression morphed into one that made the diva seem like she was a split second away from tossing down a smoke bomb and darting away to safety. "Finn, I'm content to sit here, so if you'll just go find a seat, Mister Schuester would…"

"But we always sit together. I mean, unless you're mad at me for some reason, but I know you were tired and everything on Monday, and you don't like kissing when you are, and I know you still love me, so just come sit with me." He rambled out, his reasoning so silly it would be deemed too unrealistic and foolish for a children's picture book. Seriously, again, Santana had no idea what anyone saw in him. Sometimes he meant well and was nice at times, sure, but that described most people. She watched his face turn a little redder, his grin dropping into a confused frown as Rachel shook her head. "But you're sitting beside Santana, Rach. She hates you, remember?"

Santana couldn't help but scoff openly at that, earning a glare from the man-child in the process that was about as intimidating as a toddler. _Honestly, how patronizing can he be? _ Rachel was having what Santana liked to call a moment of barely restrained frustration, something she'd witnessed many times on Friday night and also while death marching the girl on Sunday. It meant that she had a short open window to speak before Rachel went off on a rant. "Finn, just go to your seat before you do or say something you'll regret."

Of course, she'd meant it in the frame of his friendship with Rachel, but he seemed to take it differently, his face darkening in response to her words. "Are you threatening me?" he grit out, with a single, hard laugh, his eyes scanning her wounded body.

"I'm being nice for Berry's sake, because you're being an idiot, and you need to step back before you make Rachel more upset." She spoke lowly, challenging him with her own glare, that seemed to bring out a level of hesitancy, his eyes flicking back and forth between her and the diva, who was paying very close attention to them both.

"Right, because a bitch like you would know better than her boyfriend how to make her happy." Finn stated pointedly, and while he seemed to somehow lack any knowledge of what had occurred that weekend, he was missing her point entirely.

"I'm not sure how to make her happy like that, maybe, but I know when she's upset, and I know the warning signs she sends off when she's losing her cool. If you paid attention to her at all, you'd see she's really uncomfortable right now, so you should step back and go to your seat." Santana stated, clarifying her point in hopes Finn would let it through his thick skull. She really wished that Schue was there to just force the boy to move on, but he was probably macking on Ms. Pillsbury, and the rest of glee was watching on in rapt silence.

Finn started clenching and relaxing his fists at his side, and Santana saw Quinn start to stand up before Britt held her in place. Santana was thankful, because she was still confident that she could get the boy to move on. She was just getting less confident that she could do it without being so incendiary that he'd catch fire. "If she's uncomfortable about anyone here, it's you, Santana! You tortured her for years, and then she was stuck dealing with you all weekend long, so why don't you find another seat and leave her alone?"

She took a moment to really let the oaf's words sink in, unable to contain her disbelief at how idiotic Finn was being. "She was uncomfortable when you tried to kiss her Monday night, which happened after she shut you down. She was uncomfortable when Quinn and Britt visited me. She was uncomfortable this morning with some of the stares she was getting. Just like she's not comfortable with you standing so close, saying you're her boyfriend when you haven't even been dating. Just because you kissed her at nationals on a stage doesn't change the fact that she keeps telling you no, and you keep ignoring her, so go find somewhere to sit afores I can't keep up this polite front anymore, because it's fading quick." She was only being honest; her body was seething with a rage that was only contained by the fact that she knew her friends would be upset and worried if she went and beat Finn with one of her crutches.

"And just because you spent a weekend alone with her doesn't change the fact that she doesn't like you. No one does, so why don't you just…" Finn started, before shutting up as Rachel shot up to her feet, that goofy smile returning to his face immediately.

"Finn…you will not talk that way about Santana, do you understand?" Rachel growled out. Literally, the diva looked and sounded like some demonic queen, all fire-eyed with a menacing scowl that she'd never seen adorning the brunette's features. Admittedly, it was kind of hot, and it was totally cool that Berry stuck up for her.

"Rach, she's a bitch, she hates you. Let's just go…" Finn Started again, but Rachel surprisingly pushed him out of her little personal bubble of space and pointed out her finger at him, warning him not to come closer.

"Finn, if Santana hated me, she would have let the men we encountered hurt me, perhaps take me away. If she hated me, she would have left me to survive on my own instead of dragging me to safety despite me being a crying mess. She wouldn't have spent half an hour in torrential rain setting up our tent while I was sheltered from the storm. She wouldn't have given me first aid after the car crash. She wouldn't have made me breakfast, told me jokes, or stayed up all night just to give me peace of mind that animals wouldn't attack us. And when a wolf DID attack us, she made sure I was safe and out of harm's way immediately. Someone who hated me wouldn't constantly put me before her own needs, Finn. Before her own life…" Rachel ranted angrily, her arms flailing angrily as she gave the club something of a Coles Notes version of what happened. Of course, Rachel omitted the fact that as someone with knowledge and training out in the wild, she more or less had a responsibility to care for the diva. Not that she didn't want to anyway, but it was like doctors when people have heart-attacks in the street. They have to help, it's not something they could skip out on. "And over that weekend, I learned enough about her to proudly name her as my friend, and I'm excited about the prospect of having more friends. It's why I sat by her today. And she's right, you have made me uncomfortable, so I would prefer you return to your seat."

Finn looked entirely taken aback by the rant, the faint sound of hushed voices filling the silence between the trio. Honestly, Santana was proud of the little diva, and a little bit thrilled that Rachel stood up for her like that, even if she went a bit overboard on the details. After all, she wanted people to know how badass she was, not how she had a soft spot and looked out for the diva all weekend. She didn't spare the man-child another glance, her eyes unwilling to move from Berry, who was still standing and giving Finn a pointed look. Santana could see that the diva was shaking, but her rage had faded, and now she just looked like her body was in conflict over whether to do a diva storm-out, or to break down. Finn, for his part, seemed to be incapable of moving while his tiny little brain worked away on what he'd hopefully listened to.

Santana met Brittany's eyes and made a slight gesture toward Rachel, the tall blonde immediately understanding as she got to her feet. "Rachel, will you help me pick a song for Lord Tubbington's fourteenth birthday party?" Brittany asked, walking toward the trio, who were all still very much locked in place, though Rachel seemed to at least be aware of the blonde. "We're all just waiting for Mr. Schue anyway, and it shouldn't take long to see what Duran Duran song will make him happiest."

At that, Berry's mouth opened and closed a few times, before nodding ever so slightly, her gaze still locked on Finn. "Yes…I suppose that…I can make time to help your cat if it's for his birthday."

Brittany clapped happily for a few moments before dragging Rachel out of the choir room, which was signal enough for Santana to get to her feet, because if Finn couldn't take a hint, she'd turn that hint into a flat-out order. For her part, Quinn seemed to be on the same page; if Finn had been paying attention to his periphery, he probably would have scampered off with his tail between his legs, considering how icy Quinn's glare was. "Now here's how it's gonna be, Lumps. I'mma speak real slow so you can understand. Rachel doesn't want to date you. So sit your flabby ass down and keep your distance." She grit out, knowing her meds were kicking in, so even if he tried anything, she wouldn't feel much of it. Santana would totes risk aggravating her sprain to shove her shoe up the dopey idiot's ass if he kept acting like he was that day.

"Whatever game you're playing, you need to stop. I won't let you hurt Rachel, Satan." Finn shot back, puffing up like the Stay Puft man from Ghostbusters, appearing just as intimidating.

Santana shook her head in disbelief that he was exactly as she'd pegged him out in the woods. "Did you even listen to her?! Every time she talks, you just shut your fucking brain down! And she knows that, so can you blame her for ditching your sorry ass and moving onto someone better?"

Now, Finn was an idiot, but he wasn't blind; the way he looked at her right then, the maliciousness of his grin, it all told her that her not-so-well-kept secret was about to be put out into the spotlight. "You can dream, Satan, but she's not into girls. We all know you love Brittany, but she doesn't love you back…and you think one weekend will make Rachel go gay for you?" Finn spoke slowly, a small grin forming on his face as she stared him down. "You might not be a coward anymore, but you're still alone. You tear everyone down because you can't admit how you feel, and…"

She honestly couldn't listen to another word out of his stinking, putrid mouth, and it was literally all she could do to keep from physically attacking him. First off, she knew Rachel would be disappointed, and secondly, she knew that if she got suspended, it would likely spread into the following year. Missing the first day of her senior year wasn't an option, neither was missing the last day, or any more days of glee. His words stung, they were harsh, but they were out there. And she had Quinn sizing Finn up like she was some lioness looking at a prized, vulnerable kill.

"So I like girls. Whatever…Britt's straight, and this is Lima. Not a lot a lady lovin' going round, and I'm good with that. Just like I'm good with Berry finding a sexy piece of man meat that she deserves. This isn't about me, you fuckwit, it's about her, so get it through your thick skull that she doesn't love you, she doesn't want you…and if it makes you feel fucking satisfied, she doesn't want me either." She noted with feigned disbelief, scoffing at how much he was assuming. Sure, she liked the diva a lot, but even she understood that Berry had shown no concrete signs of swinging in her direction. "I'm sure my heart's just breaking that I've got three of the finest badass lady friends in all of Ohio, and none want to jump my bones. Hey Q, you're a bit taller than me. Can you hang some rope from the support beam on my room's ceiling tonight? I don't think I'll be able to do it myself, and I obviously can't stand living in this world any longer, for Finn Hudson has crushed my spirit." She finished, her words dripping with sarcasm as she gave Finn a withering glare that finally had the boy cautiously moving backward, jumping in shock as his body collided against Quinn's.

Santana wasn't really sure what the fuck was going on in glee, because even Mercedes and Kurt were shell-shocked. Zizes was tossing back popcorn that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Puck was giving her an odd look, both Changs were whispering to themselves, and Artie seemed entirely satisfied with himself, and perhaps amused at the situation. She'd sort him out later, she figured.

One look at Quinn and Finn literally ran off, out of the choir room and into the halls, which seemed to relax some of the tension. Enough to get the room abuzz again.

"So you're like…into chicks too?" Puck called out from his spot on the risers. She took a moment to gain the will to answer, knowing the cat was out of the bag; she'd just have to be a badass and handle it.

Santana offered him an apologetic shrug. "Lesbian." It was one word that she'd rarely ever spoke, as it had held a lot of power over her life. She watched on, feeling a fair bit nervous as Puck pondered it over for a moment, his mouth curling into a small frown.

"I was your beard." He stated, a certain detachment to his voice initially before he started nodding his head a little. "Happy to oblige."

She smiled a little at the words, not having expected them from him, seeing as he'd gained a lot of rep from the rumours of their sexual activities. She quickly scanned the rest of the room, noticing everyone was talking with each other except for Quinn, who was staring expressionlessly at her. Deciding to make a call, she looked at the clock and shrugged. "Schue's probably not gonna show soon, so I'm not about to waste my time here waiting." She stated, turning to face the risers. "I'd appreciate if you keep what you heard between us, is that clear?" she asked, her eyes challenging anyone to disagree. Thankfully, pretty much everyone paying attention seemed to be pretty cool. Zizes was too busy snacking to do much else, but the girl rarely spoke, so she didn't consider her an issue.

After a moment of mixed affirmations, she turned her gaze to Quinn and gestured toward one of the choir room doors. "Can you gimme a lift, Q?"

Santana was relieved when her blonde friend nodded, falling in beside her as they made their way out of the room, quickly navigating out toward the parking lot. She was tired of their daily prison, and kind of just wanted to go curl up on her bed and maybe feel sorry for herself, think, let jealousy take over, or perhaps all three at once. It'd been a hell of a day.

* * *

**A/N: Well, after a fairly long delay involving a number of variations in the outlining process, I've finally pushed this out :D Not sure how regular updates will be. It's not going to be huge, maybe 5 or 6 chapters. Anywho, I hope you've enjoyed this so far :)**

**Just want to thank everyone for your support in recent months :) You've all been quite exemplary :D**


	2. Chapter 2

The whole drive to Santana's was a bit of a blur for Quinn, who was still trying desperately to regain her composure after the relatively insane glee session. In all honesty, it had been a while since she'd been so angry, and she'd fully expected Santana to let her tear into Finn, but every time Quinn and the raven-haired girl made eye contact, she saw that same expression Santana would get when disciplining the younger Cheerios. Which, more or less, meant 'let me handle it'. So Quinn did, though she'd been ready and willing; Finn had been stupid in the past, but he'd never been so obscenely foolish as during that glee meeting, both ignoring Rachel's requests and outing Santana. It was kind of baffling, and she really just wanted to grab him and drag him away for a private castration, but it was Santana's fight, and the girl surprisingly didn't explode on him. Which, really, was kind of amazing, given her general hatred for the boy, and the fact that he spilled one of the girl's biggest secrets, well-kept or not.

Quinn had fully expected there to be punches thrown, Spanish insults screamed as half of glee held Santana back, keeping her friend from mutilating Finn, but none of that happened, and it was just utterly baffling. Not that she liked when Santana went over the edge, because it always scared her a little, but it was how the girl operated sometimes. Heck, especially when the people she cared about were threatened, and Quinn knew that her friend truly cared for Rachel. The tiny brunette's love of pacifism was the only thing that she could think of that could possibly hold Santana back, because Quinn knew that as much as Santana was protective of her people, she also loathed disappointing them. It was the only reason she could come up with for why Santana didn't maul him, and instead put herself second throughout the argument. It at least kept her from rising to Finn's bait and causing a bloodbath, which Quinn had been ready for either way.

In short, she kind of felt confused, and certainly misused, just having stood behind Finn in wait for any misstep that she could have capitalized on, but the opportunity never came. It wasn't often that Santana was ever in a situation where she'd need protection, and Quinn had wanted to show that she had her friend's back as well. It was just unfortunate, in a way, that it ended up without incident. _At least she's out now, and most of glee took it well, but...the rest of the school won't likely be as kind..._Quinn mused, sighing as they pulled into Santana's driveway, taking pleasure in the knowledge that she'd at least scared Finn a little, and that Santana had gained some support.

They made their way inside, Quinn following Santana over to her temporary room, to their usual spots at the end of the bed. It was tradition that after a hard day, they'd spend a few hours watching TV together; or at least, it used to be a tradition until early on in junior year. Quinn realized that it was the first time in nearly a year since they'd been in those familiar positions.

It was hard to concentrate on anything, what with all the thoughts flying through her mind; Quinn wanted to ask Santana about so many things, but none seemed appropriate given that she knew Santana was trying to cool down. Despite how calm her friend had been in glee, Quinn knew Santana was, on a number of occasions, incredibly close to just strangling Finn, and that likely meant a few hours of Buffy or some crime drama. She wasn't surprised when Santana tossed in some Rizzoli and Isles. They'd long since worked their way through the Law & Order shows, NCIS, among others, and last summer, Quinn had recommended it. Despite their mini-falling out and somewhat difficult reconciliation, she knew that her word was gold to Santana, that she had her friend's trust. Even something as small as a TV show recommendation was a reminder of that, and Quinn couldn't help but smile as the show started playing.

Santana had made it a few episodes before ordering pizza, her half being a deluxe, while Quinn insisted on her usual; ever since her pregnancy, the only craving that had stuck was her love of bacon, so with the blonde's freedom from the Cheerios' training regimen, she felt safe in ordering her half of the pizza with pineapple and a triple dose of bacon.

It wasn't unusual that Santana had rolled her eyes at Quinn's selection of toppings, but the blonde did spot something unusual during their little marathon. Throughout most shows, Santana had her favourite types of characters, and also those who she tended to get irritated by. It was partially a reason why Quinn recommended Rizzoli and Isles, knowing that Santana would adore Rizzoli, and would be constantly frustrated by Isles' tendency to give vague answers and random, unrelated factoids.

Yet there Santana was, her cheeks warm with amusement as she watched Doctor Maura Isles try to rope Rizzoli into wearing some absolutely embarrassing running gear. Quinn watched as Santana laughed quietly at the woman's remarks, and pouted slightly when Maura broke out into reluctant tears. It was kind of cute, she had to admit, that her friend was a little starry-eyed at the lady on the screen, but it was also very abnormal. Which, of course, set Quinn's brain into motion, using Occam's Razor to discern one distinct possibility.

It was almost comical how obvious it was upon a little reflection, but if she were to take Rachel's core personality, it matched up pretty similarly with Isles; both were passionate know-it-alls that excelled at what they did and seemed to operate in an entirely different way than everyone else. Both were good, caring friends who found it hard to say no to people in trouble, but who sometimes had a difficult time looking past their own wants and needs and into a different perspective. And both were kind of ridiculous at the strangest times. Quinn was sure that if Rachel had developed a passion in her childhood to be a doctor or a medical examiner, she would have likely ended up similar to the character on the show. Which, in a way, explained why Santana was so surprisingly fond of that character.

The only tricky thing was navigating that conversational terrain with Santana; Quinn knew that Rachel had a 'straight girl crush' on the raven-haired girl, whatever that meant, but she didn't quite know where Santana's affections stopped. It was difficult to tell sometimes, especially considering that she was so affectionate and protective in general, and that the girl was maybe a little desperate for a different kind of love than she or Britt could have given her. Quinn knew that Santana had held a crush on her once, and that her friend had moved onto Britt, which sadly hadn't worked out. _And it's not like she's upset about it...maybe a little frustrated, but I know she doesn't hold it against us, and that she doesn't blame herself...it's just maybe that she's a bit like Berry in that sometimes she just wants things too much._

Quinn recalled Santana's words in glee, saying she was happy having the three of them as friends, and knew that was true. The girl valued her friends and was exceedingly loyal, so it wasn't even a question of whether San was happy with them by her side. The real question was whether Santana wanted Berry to fill another role in her life.

"Hey San?" She asked, deciding to test the waters a bit. The girl beside her hummed in acknowledgement, her eyes not leaving the screen, too busy watching both main characters run in some marathon. "Do you think Rizzoli and Isles would ever get together?"

That seemed to grab Santana's attention, the girl turning her head enough so that she could still watch the show from the corner of her eye, but could also see Quinn. "Like, dating together?" her friend asked, earning a small nod from Quinn. Santana scoffed and turned her full focus back to the screen. "They're just awesome best friends, and apparently straight, so...no, not really."

"What if they did, though?" Quinn asked, pressing the issue, which seemed to get the gears in Santana's mind whirring, by the furrowing of her friend's brows. It was a bit of a risky play, but she wanted to know how she felt, because maybe Santana didn't know she was crushing on Berry yet.

"Well...I guess...they'd probably be good together. The people they tend to date seem a little too much like themselves, and those usually fail, so they'd probably balance out each other's special brand of crazy. And I bet Isles would be ridiculous in the sack, so if they were into each other, I don't see why they wouldn't work out. But like I said, they're supposedly straight, so it doesn't matter." Santana stated, her reasoning understandable enough, though Quinn could have done without the prediction on Maura's sexual proficiency. "Why do you ask, anyway?"

Quinn shot a glance back at Santana, who didn't look suspicious of her at all, just calmly expectant. It was nice to have that back again after months of Santana giving small hints that she was wary of her still. "I was just thinking, I guess." She answered, earning a cocked eyebrow from Santana, who promptly paused the show and rolled on her side so she could face Quinn.

"And I take it you weren't thinking about the show." Santana noted, her tone a little wearier than the blonde had expected.

"You really had Rachel's back down there. Like, I'm still kind of shocked about how it all went down, and what Finn did." Quinn admitted, offering her a sad smile as Santana's gaze lowered ever so slightly. "I'm proud of you for not killing him, San. I am, because I know how private you can be, and he didn't have the right to do that...but you can't tell me that you held back just for yourself. You did it for Rachel too."

Santana continued her roll and flopped onto her back, closing her eyes as her hair hung over the edge of the bed. "Rachel's done with Finn. Better to rip the band-aid off than to slowly peel it off. I started our talk because of him not listening to Rachel...there wasn't any reason to take his bait."

"It's just that you never denied liking Rachel when he accused you of it." Quinn added, drawing a short, strained laugh from her friend that more or less answered her question of whether San was into Berry.

"Finn always tries to make things into competitions. Whenever he was with you, and Berry was looking at someone new, he'd go behind your back and compete for Rachel. It was the same when he was with her, and you were getting into Sam. You two were his trophies until he had you, and then you were consolation prizes." Santana explained, not that Quinn needed to hear that, what with the girl having given her the same rant after Finn had dumped her after the funeral. "He knows, deep down, that Rachel's not with him anymore, and he's looking for competition. And there I am, Rachel's brand new friend, so he made me a target. He refuses to believe he doesn't have a chance, and always thinks there's someone else to defeat, as if Rachel can't decide for herself."

"You didn't answer the question, San." Quinn noted softly, knowing Santana was correct in what she said, but it was clear that the girl was avoiding the question.

Santana was quiet for a few long, agonizing moments, and maybe Quinn knew that she pressed a little too hard. That maybe she stepped a little over the line, because Santana always rolled her eyes, sighed, scoffed, groaned, or gave any number of signals that she was annoyed or frustrated. Only rarely was she ever silent after that sort of questioning. "Does it matter?" her friend asked, her voice a little harder than it had been that evening. "Rachel's straight, it couldn't happen, so there's no point thinking about it, right? I'm a big girl, Q. You don't need to..."

Sadly, the doorbell rang, and Santana's mouth shut like a vault. Quinn could tell that despite how obvious she was trying to make it out to be, that it wasn't something she particularly liked. The blonde had seen Santana admit some hard things to herself through their many conversations, and that facial expression, that slight, uneven pout of her lower lip, wasn't a good sign; that was 'dejected Santana' peeking out for a brief second or two.

'Dejected Santana' had only made three appearances before, at least that Quinn had known of, and while none were particularly DEFCON 1 emergencies, they almost always happened when Santana was feeling particularly vulnerable. Which almost always meant the girl would get reclusive. _And with her being out in glee, it's only a matter of time until the whole school knows...and then maybe someone will see her injured body and won't care that she took down a wolf...they might see her as a challenge...and I can't be everywhere all the time to protect her, but she needs me right now..._

"Q, can you stop thinking and go get the food, please?" Santana asked wearily, rubbing at her eyes, and at least Quinn knew that was legitimate. Santana was guarded in public, but if the girl was upset enough to cry around her or Britt, she would. It was refreshing, if a bit of a burden, knowing that the girl had such difficulty being open in front of strangers.

Quinn got off the bed and went to the door of the den, pausing at the frame as she looked back. "San, what if she wasn't straight?" She asked, knowing in her heart that maybe it wasn't the most helpful question, but she wanted to hope. Quinn desperately wanted Santana to be happy, so she decided to take a risk and try to get Santana to hope a little harder. Sure, Rachel's straight girl 'crush' might be just that, whatever it was, or it could be the start of something different. Glancing back at Santana, she knew that Finn's words had hit their mark perfectly, but that Rachel held the power to wipe that slate clean. And Quinn would have bet her half of the pizza that there was at least a small chance that Finn was wrong about the brunette.

* * *

Rachel came to school early for two reasons; one was what she was carrying in her right hand, and the other was so that she could put the right plan into action to support Santana. She'd heard through the glee grapevine that Finn had outed Santana during an intense argument about his chances with her, which somehow devolved into Finn accusing Santana of being predatory gay. Which, honestly, was ridiculous. At least, according to Kurt, who was incredibly disappointed with his step-brother to the point of giving him the silent treatment. Something she replicated after sending her ex a text over the matter. Rachel hadn't been able to get any word from either Santana or Quinn, neither answering their phones or facebook messages, and by the time she'd learned what had happened, it had been far too late for a visit.

But certainly not too late for a plan of action, because Santana was at least physically wounded, and Rachel wasn't about to let Santana get similar treatment that Kurt had received. It simply wouldn't do, and the initial play in her plan involved her first reason for coming to school early.

So Rachel stood there, patiently waiting by Coach Sylvester's office door for the tracksuit-wearing she-demon to arrive. She was quite aware that Sue was always at least fifteen minutes early for the Cheerio practices, and with the season over, the woman still showed up at the early hour of seven fifteen. It gave Rachel enough time to complete her first objective at a period of time where the school's security was low, and also allowed for ample pre-class vocal practice afterward.

"Streisand." The voice came seemingly from nowhere, slightly muffled. It was only when Rachel turned and looked in the office that she realized the coach had somehow made it into the office without using the door. It was hard not to be surprised, but given the woman's ludicrous training exercises, Rachel supposed that Coach Sylvester could never be underestimated.

Taking in as much confidence as she could, Rachel opened the office door and walked in, approaching the desk with her package in hand. Well, it was more like a gift basket than anything, but she figured that since no one in the world had likely created such a gift-basket in the past, that it wasn't really a fitting title. "Good morning, Coach Sylvester, my name is Rachel Berry." She announced to the blonde woman who sat at the desk, who was appraising her with a scowl. "As you are likely aware, I was involved in an incident this past weekend with one Santana Lopez."

"I am aware that Boobs McGee's airbags may or may not have saved your lives in that crash of yours." The coach noted offhandedly, looking at Rachel with a level of disdain only held for the most fervent supporters of glee.

"Coach Sylvester, I give you more credit than that. Surely a remarkable woman such as yourself would have known more than a glee club instructor. I just wanted to say that your training methods may be cruel, barbaric, illegal and horrifically paranoid in scope, but I find myself indirectly in your debt. Because of your racist allegations against Santana, and your ruthless quest for cheerleading championships, she was able to use her combat and survival skills to keep the both of us alive, and to teach me basic survival skills." Rachel rambled, working off of the speech she had composed two nights prior, one which she had memorized the previous evening.

Coach Sylvester's eyes narrowed and her face hardened ever so slightly as she glared into Rachel's eyes. "She signed a confidentiality clause in her contract. Page eight-hundred and seventy-three, section V, line fourteen. Gloria Allred will show her what it means to cross me." The woman growled, sending Rachel into action, the diva quickly placing the covered package on the table.

"I do not believe that will be necessary. As a former Cheerio who blossomed under your leadership, the fear surrounding Santana is almost synonymous to the Cheerios. Even with her, Quinn and Brittany gone, the rest in your squad have been given wider berths of approximately two inches in the halls from my observations. And if you brought her back into the squad next year, you could have the only cheerleading captain in the nation who has slain a wolf in hand to hand combat. She's proof of your success." Rachel reasoned, trying to play to Sue's pride, which seemed to be working to a degree, the woman nodding to her words.

"You're saying that I indirectly saved your life though a former protégé of mine, and that event has caused a wave of fear throughout the school that I have created." Sue stated slowly, Rachel nodding eagerly at the words, wishing she was capable of being that knw it would be favourable in such situations with impatient people. "So why are you here, Streisand?"

Rachel gulped back any remaining fears and uncovered the package. Sue's eyes immediately scanned over all of the items appraisingly, a tiny hint of a smile on her lips. Finding the expression promising, she continued her spiel. "To help stock your supplies. I can only do so much as a minor with few resources and contacts within related communities, but I've managed to get overnight shipping on a number of items that I feel may be helpful in trials and exercises you run." She admitted, handing Sue the list of what was included. "I took into consideration what I knew, and thought that some MREs, lock-pick sets, extensive first aid kits, tactical flashlights, laser sights and scopes would be handy. I also ordered some hunting knives from a reputable company, but I'm fully aware of the legal issues surrounding bringing weapons to school. The address of a storage container is listed at the bottom of the receipt...you can find them there." The cost of the package had been fairly steep, all things considered, but Rachel felt it necessary. Besides, it was only two months' allowance, which meant a few less luxuries, things she wouldn't have been able to enjoy if she had died. It seemed fair.

Sue looked over the collection of items, her hands rifling through them; the woman popped open a lock-pick set and gave it an approving nod, before moving to the first-aid kits, tossing some of the medicine included over her shoulder and into the trash. In the end, the woman seemed content with the offering, and slid her glasses down the bridge of her nose. "Is that all, young lady?"

Now, Rachel knew it was best not to ask favours from the coach, but she needed to ensure that Santana would be safe in the halls. "There may have been a recent leak about an aspect of Santana's life, and...in her current physical state, she might be vulnerable to attacks on her person unless she utilizes some of your training, which could cause undue attention to your program. I would humbly ask that you keep her well-being in mind for the rest of the school year, in order to protect your investment and the fearful school environment."

There was a long pause between her last word and even the first time Sue blinked, and for a few moments Rachel almost thought she'd pushed a little too hard. But then a sly grin slipped across the woman's face after she took a sip of that horrid drink she always had around. "Didn't think you had it in you, Streisand. Come find me if you ever want a career in politics. Otherwise...get out of my office, I can almost smell the residue of Schue's hair products on you."

Feeling a little elated over her successful first objective, Rachel made a hasty exit, quickly continuing on toward her locker. With one job done, yet another series of actions had to be set in place. She may not be big, but Rachel knew she could cast a long shadow down the halls of McKinley if she needed to. She just needed to move her pawns, rooks, and bishops properly, hoping that her remaining healthy knight would protect the other, and that Mister Schuester would go to lengths to keep glee safe like he'd promised in the past.

* * *

The rest of that Thursday morning continued as planned, though she couldn't shake the feeling that something was just a teensy bit off. As far as she knew, Santana's sexuality hadn't yet made the rounds through the school's gossip mill, which was great; Rachel preferred that if the girl's orientation slipped out to the masses, that it happened with a day or two left in the school-year, so that there was an entire summer to use as a buffer to eliminate nearly any immediate intense reactions. She wasn't an idiot; she had done research on what to expect for a girl like Santana to be out, and it ranged from minor sexual harassment to more extreme words and actions.

So with Santana's sexuality still under wraps, it would have made sense for the girl and her clique to meet up with her throughout the morning, but Rachel had only really seen Brittany for any length of time, the girl walking her to each class. Both Quinn and Santana would occasionally be off in the distance, but she'd never been able to get much closer than that.

Which was weird, if she recalled how she'd been treated on Wednesday; the three of them had practically shadowed her around school, Santana showing the odd bit of affection alongside Brittany's lung-crushing hugs. The bubbly blonde had told Rachel that the other two had just woken up late on the wrong side of the bed, but it seemed to be more than that. So she went about investigating, which involved asking for a hall pass with fifteen minutes left in her history class, knowing Mr. Bronson was forgetful and had a horrible understanding of time. It wasn't often that she used them to skip, almost always reserving such things for days when the jocks were on a slushie spree, but Rachel had noticed Santana was fully packed up during last break, which likely meant that the girl had skipped out early to her locker. And with lunch only a few minutes away, it was worth the risk to show up early and drag Santana off to somewhere they could talk.

And so Rachel stood, waiting in a small nook across from Santana's locker, hoping the girl would arrive soon. The tell-tale sounds of crutches off in the distance with four minutes until the bell were a great relief, letting her know that for once, all of her plans seemed to be going off without a hitch. It was a nice feeling.

She watched as Santana sidled up against her locker, quickly spinning the combination lock and opening it; Rachel waited until the girl had emptied her backpack and hands before speaking up. "Good morning, Santana." She noted calmly, ignoring the urge to use her 'evil villain mastermind' voice, because while it was a rare occasion that she surprised anyone, she kind of wanted it to be a good surprise.

Santana, for her part, didn't even flinch, packing her lunch into her backpack before turning her head enough to see the diva. "Hey, Rach. You skipping class these days?" the girl asked flatly, zipping up her bag and slipping the crutches back under her armpits. It was a tiny red flag, but a red flag nonetheless; Santana hadn't brushed her off since they became friends, and it almost sounded foreign out of the former cheerleader's mouth. It sounded wrong.

"Hall pass. I was wondering if we could have lunch together in the auditorium? The chairs are comfy, it's quiet, and there's air conditioning." Rachel asked, hopeful that Santana would agree. However, when the girl's mouth twisted hesitantly, and those familiar dark eyes scanned the halls for something or someone, perhaps an escape, Rachel stepped it up. "San, I need your help. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important, and I know you'd probably rather spend it with the Cheerios or whatever, but..."

"Okay." Santana blurted out with a sigh, her gaze locked up at some offending ceiling tile. "And you know I'd prefer eating with you over the damn cheerleaders, Rach."

Rachel wanted to point out that Santana didn't look like she did, or that the girl seemed to not want to be around her at all, but she held her tongue, deciding that those words could wait until they were alone. Besides, she needed to give the girl a reminder that she was still on Santana's side. And so, while the girl was distracted by putting her backpack back on, Rachel approached sneakily and hugged her, giving her a good ol' fashioned Rachel Barbra Berry hug.

It was curious, feeling the air leave Santana's body as a brief metallic clang of something hit the lockers, but the light pressure of the girl's forehead resting on the top of her own was reassuring, nearly as much as the strong, familiar arms that wrapped loosely around her waist. "Thank you." Rachel whispered as she stepped away, helping Santana back onto her crutches again.

Together, they made their way fairly quickly to the cavernous auditorium, avoiding the initial rush of students at the lunch bell that echoed through the room just as they found seats in the front row. Once the bell's noise expired, she'd expected questions from Santana about something, but the girl just silently pulled out her lunch and sat it on her lap.

Deciding to take the initiative, Rachel broke the ice with some small talk. "I talked to Coach Sylvester today." She noted, her hopes of catching Santana's interest coming true, the girl's eyes widening like saucers as she turned to face her.

"You did what?" Santana whispered out, her face twisting in disbelief, a flash of panic flitting across her features. "Are you okay? Did she threaten you? You can tell me if she did, I can protect you."

Rachel smiled at the immediate concern and passion in her friend's eyes, glad to see its return after half a day of relative disinterest. It was nice to know for absolute certain that Wednesday hadn't been a one-time thing. "I'm fine. I gave her a gift-basket of supplies and made some insinuations in exchange for her services."

Santana blinked a few times, her eyes still scanning the diva for any injuries or perhaps tracking devices. "What kind of insinuations? What was in the gift basket? And...what the heck did you ask of her, because it's not good to owe her favours, Rach. I know that firsthand."

She smiled brightly again and rested a hand atop one of Santana's fidgeting ones, immediately calming it. "I gave her some basic survival supplies and perhaps a small shipment of hunting knives. She seemed pleased with that, and how I framed your actions and reputation in the school, so she agreed to protect you in the off chance that something happens." Rachel explained, the worry and low-level panic escaping Santana's eyes in exchange for a calm clarity. Santana took a moment to close her eyes and nod, taking in the information, before resting her own hand atop Rachel's, sandwiching the diva's between her own.

"Please don't worry me like that again. Involve me next time, okay?" Santana asked quietly, her eyes still shut, the girl's teeth worrying her lower lip. Rachel supposed that if anyone knew what Sue was capable of, it was Santana, so she'd follow the request next time. Right then, she was enjoying the attention, having missed it over much of the past twenty-four hours.

"I will, just as long as you keep me around. You were avoiding me this morning, and you didn't need to...Kurt barely told me anything about yesterday, but I can assure you that I don't believe you're 'predatory gay', Santana. I trust you." Rachel stated fervently, hoping to get the other girl to include her like she had before; she liked the attention Santana gave her, she liked being in the girl's inner circle, and wouldn't have traded it for nearly anything in the world.

Santana opened her eyes and let out another sigh; within a second, Rachel was leaning across the armrest, pulling the choked up, emotional girl against her. While a lot of the gleeks had figured out Santana was into girls before the previous day's events, she knew that it was still a big secret to her friend. Pair that with Santana being a private, guarded person, and Rachel knew that the girl hadn't had much help or time processing it. She only hoped that Quinn had done some good the previous night. "San...can you tell me what happened yesterday?" It was a major question, but Rachel felt it could be good for her friend to have some sort of release, that maybe putting it into words could help.

It took nearly a minute for Santana to release herself from Rachel, but when she did, she was stoic and wiping at her eyes. She just squeezed the girl's hand tighter in support, earning a small flash of a smile. "When you left, I told Finn that you didn't want to date him, that he needed to respect that, and you didn't deserve him hounding you relentlessly. Which, obviously, he paid zero attention to, and instead accused me of plotting to hurt you." Santana noted quietly, leaning back in her seat a little bit. Rachel just nodded as a sign for her friend to continue, kind of having expected that from Finn. "So I got mad, because he was doing what he always did, ignoring what people say, and I told him you deserved better. And then he kind of blew up on me."

Rachel sat there patiently as Santana composed herself, her friend taking a number of long, deep breaths before continuing. "He brought up me and Britt, how I loved her but she didn't love me. Then he accused me of liking you, and that it didn't matter how I felt, that you weren't gay, and I'd be alone and angry and shit like normal." Her friend added, swallowing deeply and holding up a hand, Rachel keeping silent for a moment to respect Santana's wishes. "I knew he was just trying to push my buttons and hurt me. And him bringing up Britt like that stung, but whatever. I told him that I knew I was the lone lady-lover in Lima, that I'm good with that. I came to terms with it, you know? Besides, he was being a jackass and trying to hit back at me instead of accepting he fucked up, so I just told him again that you were free to date other guys, that you'd find one, and it wouldn't be him. Then glee broke out into pandemonium, Finn got scared off by Quinn, and me and blondie left early."

Rachel nodded at the tale, pleased that Santana included as much as she had. It wasn't entirely surprising that Finn would lash out like he did, but it was surprising that he'd really, truly outed her on purpose. It just seemed surreal, what with him being brothers with Kurt. _Maybe he just saw the parallel between Santana and Brittany as similar to he and myself, and acted on that...both had one party who were unwilling to continue romantic involvement with the other, but at least Santana salvaged a friendship with her...can I do that with Finn after what he did? I'm forgiving, but this...this is massive..._ Rachel mused silently as Santana looked forward toward the stage. The girl was clearly trying her best to appear strong and unaffected, but after even that weekend, it was clear that Finn had hit at least two sensitive weak points of Santana's; her breakup with Brittany, and her fear of being alone. _It was cruel of him to do that, even if Santana's abrasive to him most times...she had been polite while I was there, and Kurt said there wasn't a fight, and Santana didn't even throw punches or yell, so...maybe she was too shocked? Or maybe she knew I didn't like violence? Now that I think about it, it's odd that Finn accused her of trying to woo me, but...I mean, she's a really sweet girl, at least to me. And there's no question whether she's attractive, and it was rather difficult this morning, knowing that she was avoiding me, but that's simply because I crave attention. Especially if someone is deliberately avoiding giving me it. I know my feelings are weird for her, but...I'm straight, right? _

"Santana..." Rachel started, hoping to reel in her close friend's attention. When her words didn't work, she brought her free hand over and gently pulled the former cheerleader's chin over to face her own, Santana's gaze lowered to her lap. "Santana, Brittany loves you. Quinn loves you. And I already adore you. You won't be alone, not with us here, I promise. Finn is wrong, San."

Those words seemed to resonate, Santana's eyes lifting to meet her own, glimmering with hope that made those deep brown eyes even more glorious than usual. "Okay." Was the sole word out of her friend's mouth, but she wasn't about to complain, not with how connected she felt to the girl again. Certainly not with how Santana was lightly leaning her head into Rachel's open palm, it having slid up to hold the girl's cheek. It reminded her of their nights in the tent, and Sunday evening, when she was just beginning to understand how caring and affectionate her newest friend could be.

"I won't let anyone hurt you, Santana. I won't allow it." She spoke softly and insistently, staring into Santana's eyes until she was certain that her message had been received. "Thank you for doing what you did, and for not hitting him. If he wants to be my friend, he won't tell anyone about you, I told him as much last night when I texted him. But no matter what happens, I'm here for you."

Santana nodded and the smile she offered her was so bright and relieved that Rachel could have broken into song from happiness. It was only Santana insisting that they finish their lunches before the period was over that prevented her from taking advantage of the locale. Like Santana had shown the previous day, sometimes a little restraint was alright.

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**A/N: Second chapter down :) Typing on a laptop + spending time with family + beach time + traveling hours and hours a day sometimes lately + necessary hours for sleeping and eating = low writing productivity. But I'll be home late Saturday night, and while school will be starting for me again on Monday, I should still be able to be somewhat productive. However, don't expect the level I gave you this summer, when I had a number of days off each week, and nothing to fill them with (Especially this august, when I did 17.5% of my total output across the past fifteen or so months). My schedule going forth will be erratic. Fair warning. :P**

**Anywho, I hope you liked this! Again, thank you all for your tremendous support :D  
**

**Oh, and credit to thatdamnyank for reminding me about including MREs, otherwise I would have forgotten**

**Guest Reviewers:  
-**_**Guest14:**_** I, too, am not a fan of Finchel. As sweet as Finn can be at times, he's never seemed more than a high-school fit for Rachel. Always figured that she deserved someone a bit more ambitious and capable of keeping up with her.**


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